BREAKING NEWS

Disservice

The U.S. Senate has become a rubber stamp for decisions by President Barack Obama. The nation’s founders never intended it to be that way. Among their greatest fears was that party loyalty would trump allegiance to lawmakers’ constituents.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., was one of just three Democrats to vote against what had been termed “the nuclear option” in the Senate. The vote, on Thursday, effectively erased the power of the filibuster regarding some judicial nominations. Filibustering is a critical tool used for decades to ensure senators who feel strongly about an issue cannot be trampled in the majority party’s rush to approve legislation.

Fifty-two senators voted in favor of Majority Leader Harry Reid’s strategy to ensure Obama’s wishes are complied with fully and immediately by the Senate. Reid, D-Nev., has demonstrated control over nearly all senators of his party, which holds a majority in the Senate.

Just two other Democrats, Sens. Carl Levin of Michigan and Mark Pryor of Arkansas, joined Manchin in voting against the Reid-backed motion.

Manchin said he, too, becomes frustrated at times when action is blocked by filibusters. He noted he suggested “modest changes to make the system more efficient, but my proposal was rejected.”

Overruling filibusters entirely, as the Senate in effect did on Thursday, went too far, however, Manchin added.

He explained he believes “that the filibuster is a vital protection of the minority views …”

Manchin, Levin and Pryor were right to vote against the change. Senators who voted in favor of it, including Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, have served their party leader, their majority leader, and their president well. But they have done an enormous disservice to the American people, many of whom will come to rue the day an important safeguard was killed because many Democrats decided temporary power was more important than the long-term good of the Senate as an institution intended to serve all Americans – not just those who happen to control the government for a few years.